1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a technique for preparing titanium powders. In more particular, the present invention relates to a deoxidation apparatus for preparing a low-oxygen titanium powder having an oxygen concentration of 1,000 ppm or less from common titanium powders having an oxygen concentration of about 2,200 ppm.
2. Description of the Related Art
Titanium (Ti) is a material representing very superior durability and corrosion resistance with a light weight. Accordingly, titanium (Ti) has been utilized in various fields such as an aerospace field, an ocean equipment field, a chemical industry field, a nuclear power generation field, a biomedical field, and an automobile field.
Common titanium (Ti) has an oxygen concentration of about 2,000 ppm to about 10,000 ppm. Accordingly, many researches and studies have been performed to prepare higher-purity titanium.
The researches and studies on the preparation of the high-purity titanium are mainly focused on the control of gas impurities, that is, the development of a deoxidation process.
In order to reduce oxygen from titanium through the deoxidation process, there is suggested a scheme of dissolving calcium (Ca) by using halide flux such as calcium chloride (CaCl2), and dissolving calcium oxide (CaO) come from the deoxidation process in the flux. However, according to the scheme based on the halide flux, a complex mechanical process such as a pulverizing process must be performed after the deoxidation process has been performed. If the source material has the form of powders, superior powders may not be obtained through the process.
The related art of the present invention discloses high-purity titanium and a method for preparing the same in Korean Unexamined Patent Application No. 10-1987-0011265 (published on Dec. 22, 1987).